Tag Archive for Jerry Manuel

The Mets abruptly signed dressed and deployed Justin Ruggiano last night, and the veteran outfielder went out and played like a cliche of a No. 1: Ridiculous leaping catch attempt, overhustling a slow rolling single, foolishly getting thrown out attempting to steal third base with Bartolo Colon batting.

What a find! And his crumpled body on the warning track a perfect Met-aphor for this wreck this season is quickly becoming now with Jose Reyes out, Juan Lagares out, Cespedes hurting, Duda still missing, Wright long gone, Walker and Cabrera morphing back into middling singles hitters and Conforto and Zimmo and D’Arnaud failing so far to evolve themselves.

And I’m not calling for Terry Collins to be fired or resign but would say the SHaMs struggles these past few weeks has resembled something out of Jerry Manuel’s playbook: A palpable lack of confidence in his guys runs up and down the lineup and in the bullpen, and I think, is contributing at some level to how poorly they are executing at the moments of truth. The fact his lineup doesn’t hit well to begin with is also a factor.

One of the brilliant minds at the Crane Pool crunched the numbers and heading into last night they looked like this:

If the 2016 Mets were to hit with RiSP just like the 2016 Mets hit otherwise [.238, last in the NL] their 148 hits w/RiSP would turn into 174.
Taking that figure and using their present production of 1.486 Runs per RiSP-AB (220 runs produced by those 148 hits) the new figure would result in an extra 39 runs scored over the course of the season to this point. That alone creates about four extra wins on average, turning the current 53-49 record into more like 57-45; the 7.5 games back into 3.5; and the current 84-win pace for the full season into 90

And that’s not even the worst of it, because not only do they hit less often with RiSP but they hit a larger pct of singles in those ABs than their usual (almost 70% instead of 63.1%) with far fewer 2Bs (16.2% instead of 19%) & HRs (12.8% instead of 16.4%). So if those extra hits were in the same proportion as what they produce normally then the runs scored increase would logically get even larger.

This morning we’re 2.5 games out of a Wild Card spot, 7.5 out of first place, 3 games over .500 and its the Trade Deadline. All day yesterday fans were entertaining fantasies of obtaining Jonathan Lucroy along the the rumored relief help we apparently need so bad. (Really? That’s the issue?). My inclination this morning is to see if we can’t dangle Neil Walker, Addison Reed, and dare I say Curtis Granderson with an eye on next season. And if they don’t believe in him enough to offer him to Milwaukee, Travis d’Arnaud too. What’s your take?

I’m as optimistic as the next guy, maybe more, but #Mets look like a 3rd place club w/ or w/out incremental upgrades @ C, RP.

I suppose in the end there was a dignity to allowing Jerry Manuel serve out his contract as the field manager of the Mets but there was so little doubt it was time to go at season’s end that the last days (ok, last month) were hard to watch or write much about. I called for an end to the Jerry Era in May, arguing that his passive offensive strategies and skittish bullpen management were losing us too many close games and contributing to morose feel about the team. And sure enough Jerry went to the finish with a club that couldn’t score enough and often, lost games as a bullpen fatigued by months of nightly matchup duty eventually coughed it up. To Jerry’s credit, he handled his setbacks with class and a smile, and for a time in 2008, brought some real magic to the Mets. But at the risk of sounding like Jeff Wilpon, it’s time to look in a new direction.

Jerry turns in jersey No. 53. The fate of coaches including Howard Johnson, Dan Warthen, Razor Shines, Dave Jauss and Chip Hale seem wobbly as well, although Hale was terrific at third base and I’d like to see him back. The first of many things to watch this off-season will be for Ike Davis to take over No. 20 once Johnson gets his walking papers: It’s apparently his favorite. Could we see Josh Thole take a lower number as well?

May those two guys provide us reminders of a few of the things Omar Minaya did well, because Minaya is also out of work as of today. I liked Omar but he too earned his way out, probably two years ago, mainly for his lack of creativity and imagination, particularly when it came to acquiring pitching, and of course press conferences which could make your hair hurt. Not to mention a poor choice to mange the club.

Jeff in his remarks today promised a new GM “as soon as feasible” after which a hunt for a new manager and staff will begin: Stay tuned!

No shame in losing to Giants ace Tim Lincecum, but the way the Mets did it Thursday night should make you nuts. Their best shot to score, in the 5th inning, evaporated when Jerry Manuel asked pitcher R.A. Dickey to bunt with one out and runners on first and third — without sending the runner from third base. Dickey’s sacrifice was successful only in advancing the runner from first to second, but in the meantime costing the Mets half of their remaining shots to drive in a run, and all of them by way of an out. When Angel Pagan followed with a fly ball, a rally that started with two men on and nobody out amounted to nothing.

Dickey — whom I suspect was asked to bunt at least partly in punishment for failing to get one down earlier — worked seven strong innings before Manuel managed to use his three best non-closing relievers in the 8th to double a 1-0 deficit. Way to go.

I’m officially declaring No. 17 up for grabs again: Fernando Tatis was moved to the 60-day disabled list after shoulder surgery.

Jon Niese was officially moved to the disabled list today to make room for R.A. Dickey, who pitched respectably before Jerry Manuel took the ball from his hands too soon and proceeded to manage the Mets out of yet another yet another winnable game.

I can barely watch anymore, yet we see it almost every night: The Mets get a leadoff runner and in an effort to choke dead whatever rally might come of it, Jerry foolishly orders someone to make an out on purpose, frequently removing an effective pitcher while doing so, reducing the number of shots to drive the guy in and asking the following batter, no matter how bad he’s struggling, to make something happen or bring real pressure on the guy following him. Once he’s turned the game inside-out to get that single run (if that), they’ve barely inched closer to victory since it’s now a question of whether the beleaguered bullpen, the same two guys whether they’re winning, losing or tied, can be nothing less than perfect or risk a humiliating fate. And since the bulletproof bullpen Jerry quixotically pursues exists mostly in theory and rarely in practice, the games are always too close and failures continue to pile up: They’re barely playing .250 ball on the road, and it’s a disgrace.

That Omar Minaya provided Manuel with too many offensive outmakers and a thin rotation shouldn’t sheild Jerry from taking a hit for this team’s failures. Those handicaps ought only to illustrate how counterproductive and foolish Jerry’s whole playing-not-to-lose approach is. The Mets aren’t good enough to try and win every game by one run and make outs on purpose, and it’s time the people in charge realized it.

What an unsatisfying week of Mets baseball this turned out to be. It’d be nice to get a few walkoff victories without first blowing leads, because the alternative is what we wound up with today. The continued ineffectiveness of both Gary Matthews Jr. and Frank Catalanotto has got to be pressuring the front office to do something by now, although Matthews looks like he’ll be hard to move if only because he plays center field and most potential replacements do not. Chris Carter ought to be in Catalanotto’s job by now but it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Mets give Daniel Murphy the first shot, and allow his imminent return to light the fire.

Believe me, the bench is hardly the only thing wrong with this group. Jerry Manuel is still managing too passively and twisting himself in knots in pursuit of a “shutdown bullpen” that simply doesn’t exist, and the starting pitching still has issues, chief among them Oliver Perez. The Nationals visit this week and we’re not careful they could put us further behind them than we already are. Ack!

Amazin’ Tuesday Update: Although we’re saddened by the unfortunate closing of Two Boots Tavern on the Lower East Side, we’re pleased to be back next week at Two Boots Grand Central. Join me, Greg Prince of Faith & Fear in Flushing; Taryn Cooper of My Summer Family and Josh Wilker, author the outstanding CARDBOARD GODS website and book, as we talk Mets, eat good pizza and watch the Mets-Braves game from Atlanta. As always your first beer is free in exchange for a Mets baseball card. Two Boots is located in the lower dining concourse at Grand Central Station. Hope to see you there!

Help me help my sister fight Lou Gehrig’s Disease: Join me the in the Walk to Defeat ALS May 15 or sponsor my team. Thanks!

Holy crap. I’d be surprised if the Mets, once they wake up, don’t make a few quick roster moves for relievers this afternoon after playing 20 innings last night. And though it’s more of a long shot, it’d be also nice to get a few hitters considering they were blanked for 18 innings and managed only to squeak out single runs despite facing position players on the mound for three innings thanks to Tony LaRussa and his seeming strategy to defeat the Mets by humiliating them. This after failing to hold a 1-0 lead on Friday night. Can’t wait till Jose Reyes gets back. What? Oh…

Anyway, it wasn’t a pretty game by any wild stretch but props to Alex Cora for a terrific catch and to Hisanori Takahashi, who became a vicious strikeout artist at the right moment to squelch a 2-on, no-out situation in the 14th. Jerry Manuel’s absurdly passive game plan reached new heights by ordering Luis Castillo to bunt in a plan that successfully resulted in a single run in the 19th but predictably was proven not enough. Mike Pelfrey with the save. Ridiculous!

If recent dispatches from Port St. Ledger are any indication, David Waldstein of the Times seems determined to wrest the title of Uni Number Beatwriter Champion from Marty Noble.

Today he gets Hisanori Takahashi on the record discussing what we’d already reported here — he’s got eyes for the vacant No. 21 jersey, and not the 47 they’ve outfitted him in already. The other day Waldstein explored whether Jerry Manuel would consider changing his jersey number to 3 so as to mimic the Yankees’ Joe Girardi and his pretentious switch from 27 to 28 this spring. As if Joe shouldn’t really get to the point and change his jersey number to 208 million.

That piece sparked an even dumber post on the Bats blog where Jim Luttrell tries to zing the Mets by demonstrating he hasn’t realized the 21-day disabled list is long since dead and once again raises the issue of retiring Mets jerseys (Harrelson?)

The Times this afternoon reports that the Mets are close to a deal with Japanese reliever Ryota Igarashi of the Yakult Swallows. From what I’ve read Igarashi is either a righthander with a deceptive motion and good control, or a wild righty who throws mad heat, but should be considered to be a late-inning relief candidate in any disguise. All the photos I’ve seen indicates he prefers to wear No. 53, which happens to be Jerry Manuel’snumber. In other words, if the Mets don’t get off to a hot start, he can have it on Memorial Day.

I made the mistake of listening to WFAN while I moved the car last night and was blown away by the fire of stupidity Mike Francessa was stoking among fans competing with one another to be the most wounded by the news that the Phillies were to acquire Roy Halladay (at the cost of Cliff Lee, a multiyear, multimillion extension and some prospects) and the Red Sox had signed John Lackey for five years and $85 million. Ira on the Car Phone announced his intention to stay away from CitiField forever and demanded the Mets part with Jose Reyes (cuz we need less offense) while Francessa just let him talk.

Now.

My confidence in the Mets’ ability to do the right thing for the club is shaky at best, but that’s mainly due to those occasions when they kowtow to the demands of Francessa’s listeners and columnist hacks like John Harper of the Daily News (THE METS MUST SIGN LACKEY he demands as hunting season opens and “THE METS NEVER HAD A CHANCE” he taunts at the end). The JJ Putz trade, which I’ll never stop maligning, was a perfect example. If this tricky offseason has shown anything so far it’s that the Mets haven’t turned themselves inside out only to create the illusion they’ve solved their problems or to win a meaningless competition to make the biggest offseason splash.

They can certainly do a better job standing up for themselves in the meantime, but I’m glad they aren’t getting pushed around, so far. Kudos too to the Phils for boldly making the moves they feel they have to to stay on top. It wouldn’t be any fun to know your opponents weren’t also trying.

Now that it looks as if injuries and an underperforming second defense will be the things that kill this Mets team dead, here comes Oliver Perez.

The enigmatic lefty rejoins the rotation tonight against the Dodgers — I’ll be watching up in Section 521 if you want to say hi or commiserate. To make room the Mets returned Argenis Reyes back to where he belongs in Buffalo. His legacy as a No. 11 may be a pointless turn as a leadoff hitter that hastened the Mets’ demise and eroded even more of my confidence in Jerry Manuel, who I liked a lot only a few months ago.

Seems that Manuel has become trapped in a device of his own making. While his team was at full strength he opted to play passively so as to build for a second half, only to find that second half just may arrive without the horses. If this team is teaching us anything perhaps it’s to consider the possibily of disaster down the road before one pinch-hits one catcher for another with the winning run on base, or employs character-building but ultimately foolish strategies like sacrifice bunts as often as Jerry did early this year.

That, and, you know, the value of catching the ball when it’s hit to you.

* * *

With that out of the way, who wants to get together and watch more of this team?

Last month’s Metstock gathering at Two Boots Tavern was a great success with a roomful of Met fans meeting, greeting and eating while hearing readings from three Mets-related books including mine. Owner Phil Hartman was so jazzed about its success he’s asked Greg Prince and myself to organize similar monthly gatherings featuring literary readings, game-watching, consciousness raising, pizza eating, Rheingold drinking, cocktail shaking, Yankee baiting, memorabilia gawking and seven steps support as needed.

The first such “Amazin Tuesday” is scheduled for July 21 at 7 p.m. and will feature guests including Paul Lukas, ESPN columnist, Met fan and creator of the incomparable “Uni Watch” and author Mathew Silverman, who co-authored MBTN and more recently, Shea Goodbye with Keith Hernandez.

Two Boots is located at 384 Grand Street on the Lower East Side. Any more questions, just ask — hope to see you there!

I didn’t notice this until his last turn at bat, but Ramon Martinez yesterday was wearing No. 6, and not the No. 26 he wore in his hasty ’09 debut on Monday.

I remember thinking that the 26 jersey looked baggy on him, so that may be one reason, but interesting all the same since it’s yet another issuance of No. 6 — the most frequently dealt in Mets history now with 38 different players. I’m convinced No. 6 is one of those jerseys they carry around on the road for just this situation.

I immediately went to write this up on the site when I saw it — noting then that a few visitors had already pointed it out — when Martinez hit into a double play that ruined my mood and made me want to murder Jerry Manuel for having not pulled one of those sudden late-inning pinch-hit calls he’s becoming famous for screwing up.

Really, Jerry. And batting him sixth?

Anyhow, that now makes three numbers already for Martinez (22, 26 and 6). I can’t remember off-hand which was the last Met to switch numbers in his second game (and the database is a few jigowatts short of querying for that fact) but it’s happened before several times. Tom Hall in1975 in debuted in 42 and had 19 the next night.